“The Front Page of the Internet”: Safe Spaces and Hyperpersonal Communication among

Females in an Online Community

Hallie Workman School of Strategic Communication

The Bob Schieffer College of Communication Texas Christian University

TCU Box 298065 Fort Worth, TX 76129

469.964.3884 hallie.workman@tcu.edu

Catherine A. Coleman Assistant Professor

School of Strategic Communication The Bob Schieffer College of Communication

Texas Christian University TCU Box 298065

Fort Worth, TX 76129 817.257.7452

c.coleman@tcu.edu

 

   

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Abstract

The social content sharing site, Reddit.com, has seen an increase in both popularity and criticism

recently. Within this larger website, smaller communities exist which cater to specific interests

and groups. One of these communities is TwoXChromosomes (or 2X), a “subreddit” for women

to share information and experiences with other like-minded women. Through a voluntary online

survey and four-week-long online ethnography, this research found that, like other online

communities, 2X fulfills a specific need for the members and contributors. Among other things,

2X fulfills the need for a safe place (when many places on the Internet are not considered to be

as welcoming to girls and women), and it provides information and camaraderie that community

members feel they cannot find in their offline lives for any variety of reasons. Public relations

and communication professionals working for nonprofits and other women-centered organization

can use this information to find out what women are talking about, what areas they are asking for

advice in, and use this information to inform their strategic communication efforts.

 

   

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Reddit.com is a social content sharing site that is entirely driven by user-generated

content (in the form of a link or written text). People who frequent the site are called redditors,

and most describe reddit first and foremost not as a website, but as a community (Steinbaur,

2011): “reddit is a single organism, a gigantic internet brain, composed of millions of cells, each

of which vibrates at its own frequency” (Shaer, 2012, para. 14). The site contains more than

144,000 active smaller communities (Shaer, 2012) or groups – called subreddits – each of which

is devoted to a different topic, some very specific (like /r/gaymers, which caters to gay and

lesbian video game enthusiasts), and others large and more general (like the subreddit /r/Texas).

Reddit.com has seen an increase in both popularity and criticism recently. At the start of

2011, the site had about 30 million page views per day, but by December that number had shot

up to 65 million per day (Steinbaur, 2011; Shaer, 2012).It has been listed as the largest Internet

message board in the world (Shaer, 2012) and the “largest petri dish around” of images and

stories that go viral (Townsend, 2012); but among the criticisms have been charges of the

misogynistic tendencies and content on the site (Zuckerman, 2012; Southern Poverty Law

Center, 2012; Chen, 2012). Yet within the broader context of “anti-women” (Zuckerman, 2012)

content exists TwoXChromosomes (or 2X), a robust “subreddit for women to share information

and experiences with other like-minded women” (reddit.com/r/twoxchromosomes). Members of

2X share news stories and current events that affect women, ask other women for advice, share

experiences and personal stories unique to being a woman, discuss feminism in general, and

share blogs and other media that deal with these topics, all in a trusting and supportive

environment. As of January 2013, 2X moderators reported between 150,000 and 350,000 unique

visitors per month (reddit.com/r/twoxchromosomes). Additionally, as of September 4, 2013,

there are 148,441 people who subscribe to 2X, which means the most popular posts from the

 

   

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subreddit appear on their customized Reddit front page (this requires a reader to create an

account and change the default settings).

Through community observation and a voluntary questionnaire posted to 2X, this

research seeks to understand the culture of this subreddit, 2X, within a broader culture of

reddit.com that allows for anti-woman and misogynistic rhetoric. Understanding this culture of

2X and the motivations women have for participating yields insight into social interaction online

and cohesion in the context of broader cultural tensions. Further, with much social interaction

now occurring online, this research has implications for communication scholars and

professionals working to understand how people interact in online communities (Steinmetz,

2012; Kozinets, 2002), and how gender influences how people interact online (Kapidzic &

Herring, 2011). Previous research and literature in this area has included how members of online

communities share knowledge with each other, the potential for online interactions to yield

hyperpersonal connections, and how women tend to communicate online.

Literature Review

Not only is a greater percentage of the female population online than that of the male

population (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2012), but research also has demonstrated

that the activities and motivations of women online tend to differ from those of men (Herring,

2003; Weiser, 2000). Online communities, particularly communities catering to a very specific

niche, are important spaces for sharing information and forming bonds. These virtual

communities have unique ways in which they share information, which may differ according to

the characteristics of the community, such as gender makeup, and from the ways that offline

groups share knowledge.

 

   

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Knowledge Sharing in Online Communities

Previous research has attempted to understand online communities (e.g., Hagel, 1999;

Kozinets, 2002) , but there is little discussion about the motivations behind sharing knowledge in

this way, especially when there is no immediate benefit to the person who is taking the time to

share the information (Sun, 2009). ‘Knowledge sharing’ can be defined as a process through

which people gain knowledge by learning from other people’s experiences and first-hand

knowledge (Sun, 2009). Lin (2010) explored the concept of online community loyalty through

the lens of social cognitive theory, or SCT, and found that affective commitment, which “refers

to the strength of a member’s attachment and identification with a particular online community”

(p. 347), has a positive relationship to how heavily the member participates in knowledge

sharing. Social norms was the other primary influence motivating community loyalty behavior

(Lin, 2010). In this case, loyalty behavior was shown by participating in discussion boards,

responding to questions, and interacting with other members. These findings are supported by

more recent research which used the term “citizenship behavior” to describe the same type of

involvement. For example, Xu, Li and Shao (2012) found that motivations for citizenship

behavior include enjoyment in helping other members of the community and commitment to the

community, among other things. They also found that trusting relationships were instrumental in

holding the members of an online community together and positively affecting the members’

feelings about that community to which they belong (Xu, Li, & Shao 2012). Members of these

virtual communities are willing to contribute their knowledge and experience when there is no

immediate benefit to themselves because they feel that it is the right thing to do, and it is part of

being a member in the community (Xu et. al., 2012; Lin, 2010). Sun, et. al also found that trust is

an important factor in the willingness of members in a virtual community to share knowledge

 

   

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(Sun, Ju, Chung, & Wu 2009). When members trust that their efforts in contributing experience

and knowledge will be reciprocated, they are more likely to participate in knowledge sharing

(Sun et. al., 2009).

SIDE Model and Hyperpersonal connections through CMC

In contrast to factors such as knowledge sharing, enjoyment and trust are also issues that

may be disruptive or have negative outcomes. Online communities like Reddit are often

criticized for suffering from “hive mind,” despite the fact that posters have the ability to be

completely anonymous. Postmes, Spears, and Lea (1998) addressed this phenomenon with the

SIDE model. They argue that computer mediated communication “does not necessarily lead to

increased equality or democratization, and may even increase intergroup discrimination and

hostility” (p. 694). Central to this model is depersonalization, which “refers to the tendency to

perceive the self and other not as individuals with a range of idiosyncratic characteristics and

ways of behaving, but as representatives of social groups or wider social categories that are made

salient during interaction” (p. 698). This salience can lead to a participant feeling a deeper

similarity and liking of those he or she is interacting with.

Computer mediated communication also carries the possibility of allowing interactions to

become deeper and more personal than face-to-face (FtF) interactions. Walther (1996) describes

this as hyperpersonal communication, which is “CMC that is more socially desirable than we

tend to experience in parallel FtF interaction” (p. 17). Similarly, when online communities are

formed around a common interest, they are likely to share common experiences despite the fact

that this is a community of strangers, and this can lead to “more positive relation than the

accidents of location-based FtF communities afford” (Sproull & Faraj 1995, p. 45). Walther

(1996) also found that these CMC interactions can result in less stress, more expression of

 

   

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feelings, “more positive evaluations of others and the self, and more frequent reference to

interpersonal issues” (p. 31).

Feminist Online Communities and Gendered Behavior

One of these characteristics or interests that bring people together online and allow that

deep interpersonal connections is gender. Among feminists, early discussions regarding the

Internet involved imagining an online space in which users would be disembodied, thus

genderless, and the Internet would be a space devoid of discrimination so frequently experienced

in the offline world (Brophy, 2010). As it became clear that this was not necessarily the case,

there was a movement advocating for a new kind of “cyberfeminism” that rejected both leaving

the gendered body behind and viewing the Internet as an extension of the body (Brophy, 2010).

Women and girls on the internet found themselves wanting to both downplay their gender and

openly flaunt it, but by and large, women did not choose to become genderless online. Teenage

girls especially, portray themselves as gendered while participating in online discussion (Sarkio,

2009).

Websites and blogs centered on girls and young women serve as spaces for debate,

discourse, and the exchange of “politically and socially engaged ideas by those who are

marginalized within mainstream political debate” (Harris, 2008, p. 487). Political engagement

and discussion is just the beginning. Gender-specific spaces continue to grow and expand into

new and different spaces both online and offline.

Research shows that women also use online communities to reach out for support, report

sexual assault, and to satisfy their needs for self-disclosure in general (Chen, 2012). Dare and

Green’s (2011) research shows that women are utilizing the Internet more and more frequently

when “distance, time constraints or emotional intensity” renders more traditional communication

 

   

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(telephone or face-to-face) problematic (2011, p. 486). Many middle-aged women interviewed in

that study mentioned turning to online communities for help when the problem they were dealing

with was rare or specialized (they didn’t know anyone personally who they felt could relate), or

when they didn’t feel they could speak to close friends or family because the subject matter was

too difficult. The Internet also facilitates new networks of support for women when the depth of

social stigma means that a woman is unlikely to reach out to someone in her social circle when in

need of support or advice (Dare & Green, 2011). Networks of support like these have the

potential to evolve into online communities whose members readily share information, feel a

sense of belonging, and provide mutual support, which make these forums especially appealing

to women seeking support for suffering abuse, coping with disease, and to members of minority

social and political groups like those in the LGBT community, racial minorities, or feminists

(Herring & Job-Sluder, 2002). These new opportunities for engagement and support have

positive effects on these women’s lives, as social support becomes increasingly important during

times of trial or major transition in a woman’s life (Chen, 2012; Dare & Green, 2011).

Herring’s research explored how women spoke differently from men in online spaces,

focusing on specific differences in tone and speech. In their online communications (in this case,

discussion on message boards), women are more likely to be apologetic, justify and hedge,

appreciate, and be upset by violations of politeness; men tended to violate politeness norms, post

longer messages, assert opinion as facts, and use more assertive and active language (Kapidzic &

Herring, 2011; Herring, 2003). Women tend to have less influence in mixed-gender online

groups/discussions, and this may account for why online groups meant solely for women are so

common (Herring, 2003). If women want to address their interests online, it appears necessary

that they create their own groups, “suggesting that the default activities on the Internet address

 

   

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the interests of men” (Herring 2003, p. 221). A review of message boards and sites like reddit

suggests that this holds true. This was also reiterated by the women in the online community

examined for the current study.

These feminine online spaces and feminist online communities also tend to be unique

from mixed-gender or largely male communities in their structure; women participate more

eagerly and enjoy greater influence in online communities that are controlled by moderators or

individuals trusted with holding posters accountable to community rules and maintaining order

and focus within the group (Herring, 2003; Herring & Job-Sluder, 2002). Studies have supported

this in showing that women-centered groups whose moderators place restrictions on things like

the number of messages that can be posted tend to thrive and enjoy active participation by a

larger number of members (Bergstrom, 2011; Sarkio, 2009). This research attempts to build upon

these findings of unique characteristics of women-centered communities and analyze the

behavior of the gendered online community 2X.

Methodology

Data was collected through netnography, or “ethnography adapted to the study of online

communities” (Kozinets 2002, p. 61) and through qualitative data collected in response to open-

ended questions included in a larger survey posted on reddit.com/r/twoxchromosomes. This

research involves open-ended questions that were part of a larger survey of the 2X community (n

=566). Netnographic data was collected over five weeks and included the top 20 posts, including

comments; additionally, one of the researchers reviewed all posts for pertinent emergent themes,

and kept a journal noting trends, language, social norms, nature of interactions, and

communication themes. Collectively, this information yielded 43 pages of data. Themes from the

netnographic observations were explored in more detail in open-ended questions included in the

 

   

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survey, focusing particularly on why members visit the subreddit, how they describe it, and what

feelings, uses and other responses they felt are most important for understanding their

interactions on the site. The 1,104 responses to the open-ended questions (Q1: n=469, Q2:

n=460, Q3: n=175) were analyzed inductively, as the researchers identified emergent themes

within the data.

Findings

Several important findings emerged from the data. Specifically, findings about use of in-

group language, members’ sense of community, and the feeling of safety and support in 2X

compared to other places online and the rest of reddit.

Language, Meaning and Culture

Findings present a unique language and vocabulary among 2X participants that paints a

picture of this community’s mindset. One term often used is “vent” or “rant.” This is a disclaimer

that the OP (original poster) often includes in the title of a post to indicate that he or she needs to

talk out or complain about something that happened to him or her. Sometimes community

members end a post or comment with “/rant” this is a play on computer coding languages in

which the slash essentially denotes the end of something. This disclosure of a rant or vent is

consistent with the female online language patterns that Herring (2003) found (apologizing,

justifying and hedging).

Another term often used is “possible trigger” or “trigger warning.” This is a tag that

appears next to a post warning sensitive readers, victims of sexual assault, or those suffering

from related PTSD that they may find the contents of the post upsetting. This tag is usually

added by the OP, but is occasionally added by one of the moderators after the fact. In the survey,

 

   

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several community members indicated that they look for these tags to avoid reading “heavier”

posts when they don’t feel up for it.

The topic of “victim blaming” also comes up frequently in 2X discussions. Victim

blaming is insinuating that a sexual assault or rape is the fault of the victim or insinuating that

he/she should have done more to prevent the attack. Members of 2X often call out victim

blaming wherever and whenever they see it (online or offline), and it is absolutely unwelcome in

the subreddit.

“Hive mind” or “group think” were terms also mentioned frequently by 2Xers. This

refers to the homogenous views or opinions shared by members of 2X (and other online

communities), as people feed off of each other creating something of an echo chamber. This

occurs on Reddit as a whole as well as in smaller subreddits like 2X.

Street harassment is an issue that received significant attention in the later portion of the

netnography. Generally, street harassment is any unwelcomed comments or catcalls directed

towards someone out in public, coming from a stranger. The women on 2X are beginning to

speak out against it, talk about it, and share tips on how to deal with it.

Finally, image fest Friday (IFF), is a day that the community created where members are

allowed to post pictures. Previously, pictures were not allowed to be posted in this subreddit

because the moderators preferred posts that would facilitate more discussion. This year,

however, IFF was created as the one day each week that pictures are permitted.

Questionnaire responses and emerging themes

When participants were asked to identify three words to describe 2X, “supportive” was

by far the most commonly mentioned word. Other frequently used words included “friendly,”

“feminist,” “community,” “interesting,” “safe,” “welcoming,” “helpful,” “open,” “accepting,”

 

   

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“informative,” and “fun” (for a word cloud of the 30 most common words, see Appendix 1).

These sentiments were echoed in the other open-ended questions.

When asked why they visited 2X, the major themes that emerged were the notion that 2X

was first and foremost a community and the fact that it was female-centric (unlike the rest of

reddit) was a major draw. This was the most frequently reported reason for visiting 2X. One

respondent wrote, “These men and women understand me, and I them. We have grown and

learned together as a community. There is no embarrassing question or subject matter. It’s like

family.” Several respondents mentioned that while they like the format and content on reddit as

whole, they found problems with redditors’ attitude towards women. One wrote:

I like that it [2X] can often be a little microcosom of reddit, with news, interesting

discussion and fun stuff, but it’s a much more supportive environment overall

than most of reddit, especially because it isn’t full of misogynistic attitudes and

comments like many of the larger subreddits are.

Respondents also mentioned they visited because 2X was a supportive, friendly, welcoming, safe

place, “It’s a space where it’s okay to be a woman on the internet,” said one respondent. Another

added:

It’s nice to have a large community of women like and unlike me, sharing their

stories and interests. It’s a space I know I could count on, too, if I needed to.

There’s an unexpected sense of closeness among the visitors of TwoX that isn’t

found elsewhere in the otherwise male-dominated larger Reddit community.

Other community members said they came to 2X to ask specific questions or to offer

advice or answer questions. One respondent wrote:

 

   

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I use it to get advice on life, and to share my experiences with others. I like to

offer advice to other women when I can. I also use TwoX as a way of learning

about other women. It’s such an accepting subreddit that I feel like it is helping

me become a better woman, a better feminist.

The notion that 2X offered a different perspective and points of view was also repeated. Others

mentioned they visited to find news stories that pertained to women’s health, women’s issues,

and feminism. One respondent in particular summed up all of these themes well by saying she

visits, “mostly to compare myself to others; to see if they’re dealing with the same thing, to feel

good about myself, to be affirmed, to be listened to, to help others, to stay updated with

opinions.” Another respondent also encompassed many of these themes with her response:

I just really like the community. Sometimes it feels like a big gathering of

girlfriends. If you have a problem, you ask them for advice and they give it to you

(with the added perk of being unbiased because they don’t know you personally).

If you have something to share, whether an accomplishment or an interesting

read, they support you. What’s different about subreddit culture and other forums

made specifically for women is I feel that everyone has a valid say in what they

post or comment.

The answers to Question 3 (“Is there anything else you would like to add about

r/twoxchromosomes…”) added some nuance, especially in the aspect of the community being

more open-minded and accepting than reddit as a whole.

Respondents said they find things in 2X that they can’t find elsewhere on the internet or

reddit. This included news stories, opinions, support from other members, acceptance, and the

 

   

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safety to share personal information. One respondent explained that she has two reddit accounts,

one using a gender-neutral username, and one with a more feminine-sounding username:

I feel the need to obfuscate my gender on my primary account because (for

example) if my comments on, say, r/gaming got a lot of attention from that

community, and someone looked through my history and discovered I was

subscribed to a lot of women’s subreddits, I worry that I’d be “outed” as a

woman and people would think of my comments/opinion differently.

In addition to saying that they find things in 2X they can’t find elsewhere on Reddit (or

online in general), respondents said they find things in 2X that they feel they cannot find in their

offline lives or interactions. Many mentioned that they don’t have many “girl friends” or older

female mentors in their lives:

Sometimes I can have difficulty understanding/empathizing with people without

making others uncomfortable with my efforts…TwoXChromosomes is the only

way outside of speaking with my female relatives and small (but close) circle of

friends that I can learn and understand issues that face people without feeling like

a voyeur or creep. I’m very analytical and seeing posts (especially rants or

debates) about experiences and issues really helps me comprehend what people

face outside my immediate social circumstances.

Another teenaged girl added:

I like TwoX because, as a 15-year-old girl, I get a lot of conflicting messages on

what it’s like to be a woman in society and what I’m supposed to look and act

like. I feel like TwoX is a good place to find positive ideals, and to find role

models that I aspire to be like. I don’t have close relationships with any women.

 

   

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As I get older, I’m intrigued by what it means to be a woman in America. Some

days I like it, some days I don’t.

Perhaps the most important findings in answering the research question were themes that

came up across all three questions. In the responses to every question, the same themes of

community, safety and support were repeated by many respondents.

Discussion

Those themes of community, safety and support are among many parallels between the

findings of this research and theories established in previous research in computer-mediated

communication. Walther’s (1996) hyperpersonal communication theory is supported by the

theme of women finding things in 2X that they cannot find in their offline communications or

relationships. While media richness theory states that the interactions happening on this

subreddit would be less rich than those occurring face-to-face, many respondents made the point

that they can discuss and learn things here that they have no opportunity to discuss with people

face-to-face. Just as Walther’s (1996) theory predicts, 2X allows interactions to become deeper

and more personal than can be accomplished in face-to-face interactions. These findings also

support Dare and Green’s (2011) research which found that online networks offer support for

women who wish to talk about issues around which there is too much of a social stigma to

discuss the issue face-to-face. 2X shows many classic characteristics of online spaces dedicated

specifically to females, for females, created to discuss female issues.

Application and Future Research

The findings of this research shed light on the culture of 2X members and the community

as a whole. The sense of community, safety, and support among members seem to motivate them

to participate in the subreddit community, despite the perceived threats of misogyny and anti-

 

   

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female behavior on Reddit as a whole. These findings show that 2X is something of an oasis

within the larger space and culture of Reddit.

The makeup and communication strategies of these communities have implications

across a range of communication fields, including advertising and public relations. The self-

selection and segmentation typical of online communities make it easier for advertisers who have

specific knowledge of these communities to target them with messages tailored to their needs.

Additionally, these spaces provide an opportunity for researchers to identify the unique language,

desires, tastes, and influences of specific groups (Kozinets, 2002), and to listen to and better

understand the influence of gender on these conversations.

For example, women-centered activist organizations and nonprofits could benefit from

knowing what women are talking about and how they share information. As Coombs and

Holladay (2012) point out, “corporations cannot meet stakeholder expectations if they are not

aware of them” (p. 54). An in-depth understanding how members of these women’s online

communities interact with each other and why can lend insight into the organization and

purposes of these social spaces, and can aid organizations in learning how to listen to and

monitor discussions in appropriate ways. Listening to and monitoring online communities allows

organizations to cater to stakeholder needs, see crises coming, and observe emerging trends and

perhaps opportunities. Previous research has the tendency to focus on how PR practitioners can

talk to these online communities, but there is little emphasis on understanding these niche

communities for the purpose of simply ‘listening in’ rather than interacting.

This research could be useful for communicators looking to reach a young, female

audience, particularly if the organization’s objective is to offer support or education to young

females. There is an opportunity for nonprofits such as Planned Parenthood to become a part of

 

   

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these online communities where women are asking for help, advice, and support. Of course, one

would have to tread lightly and be careful not to take advantage of the trust found within these

communities. Only if communicators are coming with the sole intention of humbly offering help

(and not just selling a product), should the PR or communication professional even participate.

Even in this case, however, there is the question of whether brands should participate at all in

these communities (by interacting or simply listening in). There are ethical issues – especially

when taking into consideration the possible exploitation of a safe, trusted space – that need to be

addressed.

One obvious limitation of this research is that it only focused on one online community,

thus these results should not be extrapolated to women’s online communities as a whole.

Additionally, the ethnography took place during a relatively short time frame. During the short

time of this research, the researchers were able to see one trend begin to emerge (the discussion

of street harassment), but a longer netnography has the potential to see trends emerge, play out,

and fade away. Further research should look to replicate this study in other female-centric online

spaces, as well as to observe the community for a longer amount of time.

 

   

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21  

Appendix 1

This word cloud includes the 30 most frequently cited words when respondents were asked what three words they would use to describe 2X. The size of the word indicates how often it was mentioned (the larger the word appears, the more times it was used).    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Graphic  created  by  importing  responses  in  .txt  format  to  www.wordle.com]  

 

 

 

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